Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-24

I piece Of highway work that has ever &C.
CURED in the west. The fullest and at
The same time the most satisfactory and
| Ineligible account Of the affair is best
obtained by relating in connected way
what was gathered from the train men
and passengers, and then by giving the
| expression OF individuals.
As the train was pulling out from Fla
tonia, $50 miles west of this city, at 1880
O'clock this morning, two men mounted
! the engine and, with drawn revolvers,
ordered the engineer TO pull out faster.
/ The engineer, Ben Pickee, in the face OF
such persuasive argument, did as he was
/ ordered at 2 lively rate. When about
three miles from Flatonia, the robbers
ordered the engineer to stop. When the
| train had slowed up il was found that The
engine vas standing on trestle over a
! creek OF TaYine. The engineer
was then told TO pull up
! so that the engine and express Car should
! be on the embankment, while the passeu-
ger coaches were left on the trestle.
This was the spot which had been Sc
lected Tor the robbery, as bright camp
fire was burning g short distance from
the track, around which were grouped
the mysterious moving figures CT ten or
!
fireman were then taken off the engine
and placed under q guard of four men.
The rest of the robbers crowded around
the combination and express car and de-
manded that the door be opRned. In
I the meantime the express messenger, M.
Z. Folger, OF Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express,
had not been idle, but had been busy con-
ceallng what valuables he could. When
II Hr-t or no 4r1c no
conductor, j. X. Lyons, put his head out
Of the window Of the car nearest the
engine, and calling to the engineer
enquired what was the matter. The
engineer replied that he was In the hands
CT robbers, and that they had ordered
the train stopped. Conductor Lyons at
coach that the train
WAS BEING ROBBED,
and that they had better seCrete what they
could, and he a. the same time set good
example bv hi6ng $40 IN bills under two
Of the seats, taking care TO leave So in his
pocket as q blind. When the robbers
demanded entrance to the express car
Messenger FOlger Ut first refused to
open the door, but after holding q cor
sultation with Bageegemaster Hart, he
concluded that discretion was the better
part of valor and opened the door. The
robbers then jumped in the car
with drawn revoIvers and COM
manded that the safe be opened.
The messenger was somewhat dila-
tory about complying, when one OF
the robbers commenced TO bGlabOT him
over the head with g six shooter This
had the desired effect, and The robbers
proceeded to appropriate what yaluabIes
were in the safe. While they were going
through the s6fe the express messenger
attempted resistance, when he was
knocked over the head with siX-shOOteI
sId knocked seDseless, and they then
PROCEEDED WITH THEIR WORK
uGmOlested After the ssIe had been
finished they turred their attention
to the mail pouches. On this
train there is no local dlstribu-
tiou OF mali matter, and consequently
no mail agent, but through pouches are
carried, and they are in charge of The
baggsgemaster. The robbers cut the
! pouches and took what they wanted, but
it is not thought they got any valuable
/ letters, SIS no registered mail was on this
train at all. The robbers then proceeded
TO the day car and with presented re-
volvers ordered every body TO throw up
his hands. 1t is useless to say that every
bOdy's hands went up, including the con-
ductOr's, who was in the car. Their
method of procedure was to place two
armed men
AT EACH END
Of the car while the mzn whom the rest
addressed as Captain" and another
went through the GER and robbed the pas
sengers. In the day car the first man
at whose head the captain presented q
cooked revolver and told him to give up
what money he had was J. II. Mitchell of
Tombstone, A. T. Mr. Mitchell had
previously secreJed $500 under the seat
! and handed over $40. The robbers then
went through p. 8. MsrouX of San
! Francisco, Cal, who gave up $40, but
saved Sl6O, which he had concealed
when the conductor gave the alarm. Dan
| Sweeney of MERGED, Cal. next contributed
! SO and saved $50. Waiter Gregory of
! San Antonio was then called upon to add
/ TO the booty and he handed over al he
! had, 500 The robbers asked him if that
was sll he had and, being informed that it
was, they handed him back a So 80 gold
! piece and passed to the next man, who
WAS drummer from New York, L. Las
! ker. Dir. Lasker gave up 81, but saved
over 500 by putting it in bis shoe. a
passenger in the car whose name is not
| known, but who got of at Gidden, was
! robbed of g fine gold watch and
| chaiu. The conductor wss also coraIled
in this Car, but the robbers got only
! about So from him, he having previously
| concealed his money.
! Tie robbers then adjourned 10 the
Pullman sleeper, but as the lights were
J all ont aud the door was on the side of
/ the car instead of in the center as is gen.
/ orally the case, they could not obtain an
entrance. Surprising it was locked, they
commanded the conductor to unlock it
UNDER PAIN OF INSTANT DEATH.
BE protested that he had no key
10 the door, and that the porter
mad locked it from the inside
and hsd the key. They insisted that the
door must be opened, aud threatened his
complete annihllation unless Il was i'm
mediately opened. The conductor was
ordered TO take up his lantern and 20
With them. When the door CT the Pull
man was reached it was found not 20 be
locked, and the party entered, the con-
ductor, with his lantern, sandwlChed be-
tween the Captain, who carried deadly
looking sixshooter, and another robber,
with 8 Winchester in mis- hand. They
went through the sleeper in very syste-
matic manner. The conductor was made
to pull the curtsins back and
arouse the sleeping passengers, while the
Captain, with his murderous looking
weapon, claimed the object of the meet
ing The first man aroused was Lon
Meyer, travelling man from Cincinnati.
He occupied the first berth on the right
side Of the car. Mr.. Meyer did not take
Ia 1nrnnnnAnl & n crirrn